Striping device



JUHCZ'?, 1933- R. z. HOPKINS ET AL 1,915,419

STRIPING DEVICE Filed April 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 imams June 27, 1933.

R. Z. HOPKINS ET`AL.

STRIPING DEVICE Filed April 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ffl ".llUlJllllll llllulllllllllll Patented .lune 27, 1933 gIN1-'rsu smits PATENT orner RALPH' z.v HOPKINS AND EARL F. suena nmiaor'; MGH'IG'AN, A CORPORATION or 'HUDSON MOTOR COMPANY, o5 MICHIGAN or Disma-oir, MICHIGAN', AssIGN'oas 'ro STRIPING DEVoE Application led April 2,

This invention relates to strip-ing devices adapted especially for the purpose of applying paint or lacquer stripes tox automobile bodies. Devices embodying` the presentinf vention are' so constructed as to enable narrow', Wideor a plurality of stripes to be ape plied rapidly and easily on body panels, such as along: or adjacent the belt- .line or kother moldings yor beads, and around'v they Window reveals. Heretoore considera-ble ditliculty has been experienced in carrying out properly and efliciently the Work of body striping'V so as to provideV uniform andv even stripes ot the exact Widthf required owing. to variation-sv in contours of body surfaces; irregularities, curves andy corners Even very slightirregularities 'in surfaces against which the applicator contacts, affect mate-y rially the results obtained.- To accomplish this Work properly the striping must be accurately performed?,- and even When doing this mechanically by employing striping` tools this has proved difficult Where under conditions ofV large scale production it is desired to: utilize unskilled labor.Y

An object ofy the invention is" to provide a portable striping device Y which Will be simple and compact in construction and may be easily handled and guided over the body ;V

in which the device may be used continuously without necessltating. frequent.Yreiillmpg` of the reservoir; in which the applicator may lbe constructed so" as' to yield in such a Way as to accommodate automatically variations in contour of'surtaces or if desired'l to takev careV of curves or corners; 1n which nnproved means may be' provided for torce i"eedinp;y paint' from' the reservoir to the applicator and in which means may be provi-ded for eliminating' blots at Junctionv points of two stripes and for removing' excess paint at any point in the stripe. l n

This application isa furtl'ier modification of the inventions shown and' described in our copending applications Serial' No. tiled May l. 1928;' Serial No. 28.9,8l'l filedv July 2,1928; and Serial No.y 272,072 filed april 2s, 1928.

Other objects of this invention Will appear in the 'following description and appended 1929. Seria] No.- 351,989.

claims, reference bein-g had to" the accom# pari-Tying" drawings' forming. a part of this specification wherein like' reference characl ters designate' corresponding parts' in the several views. Y

Fig. l is a'. sidel elevation illustratingv a striping' device' embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.-

Fig. 3: is a sectional vievxT taken substantially on line 3 3, Fig. l, inI the' directionv ot the arrows. Y f

l i's in part a vertical section of the construction shown in Fig. l.

Fig; 5l is a fragmentary upper si'de vie-W takenr from the opposite side of the device in Fig.A I.

Figs. 6,-7 and 8 arel detail views illustrating the manner' in- Which' the pin nibs are adapted to: confor-m1v to various contours Fig. 9' is al side elevation` of a somewhat the details of construction and arrrnlgenient P of part-'s illustrated inV the accompanyingl drawings, sin-ce the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various Ways.l Also it is to be understood that the phraseolofgy or termi'- n'ology employed herein is :tor thepurpose of description and not offlimitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention beyond the terms of the several clalir'ns hereto appended as considered in view of the prior art 3 and the requirements tl'iereof.-

Referring to Figs. li to' 8 inclusive the striping device in this formL of the invention comprises preferably a hollow suppc'xrtingk body forming a" reservoir l0 for containing the striping fluid7 such as lacquer or paint. This reservoir or container bodyfis 1n the present instance constructed to provide anr ment of a valve support or housing 11 formi inga removable cover.` This valve support.

isprovided with-a central vertical passage or port 12 communicating with a lateral passage or duct 13-which in turn communicates with a removable flexible tube 14 for supplying and feeding paint froma source of supply into the reservoir 10. The passage 12 is counterbored to 'provide a cylindrical chamber withinwhich is located a valve lhaving a lower conical portion adapted to be seated on a correspondingly shaped valve seat machined at the upper end of the passage 12.. The valve 15 is carried by a valve stem 16 having l.threads which cooperate with a tapped hole in a cap 17 adaptedtobe screwed on to the .upper end of the member 11. The valve stem 1G carries a knurled head 18 and a compression spring 19 is located 4between this headand the cap 17. By turning the head 18 the position ofthe valve 15 may be adjusted to control the feedl of paint from the tube 14 into the reservoir. This `feed is preferably by gravity from a suitable supply i within which is tank and vthe flexible tube 14is in 'practice long enough to permit the operatorV to move within the required range at the assembly line so as to stripe the-bodies as they travel along the assembly line. v

Extending through the interior of the reservoir or container 10 is aA metal tube 20, this .tube extending preferably parallel to the wall 10a and closely adjacent thereto.

and formed with a cylindrical extension 21 fixed the lower end of the tube 20. This tube preferably-extends to a point adjacent the top of the container body and in the present instance is open to provide a port 22.- also provided with a flow ofpaint or fluid fromrthe the tube 20. A.

port k23 permitting the reservoir into Within the ktube 2l) is located a screw or f worm conveyor 24 which preferably extends substantiallythe length of. the tube andterminatesat a point adjacent the upper end thereof near theport 22. 4 of this screwv or worm is cylindrical and is machined toprovide an annular key VV25a housed within an undercut annular groove in vavbearing c'ap 27.'y

- the screwv conveyor 24 has a bearing within the cap 27 and is supported thereby to rotate within thetube 20. By unscrewing the cap y The` low'er end of the container body 104 is reducedv Thevtube at its lower end isy The lower endy 25.

This cap 27 is tapped and is adapted `tobe "screwed onto thethreaded end 26Y of the extension 21. In this manner tube. The lower end of the screw is turned down to provide a projecting spindle 28 upon which is fixed a small gear 29. This gear is in mesh with a large gear 30 secured in place uponA a stud shaft 31 which in turn carries a rotatable friction roller 32. This roller may comprise 'a disk having a peripheral rubber tire. The shaft 31 is journalled in a projecting bracket33 extending from the reser- .voir body. It willibe seen that the roller 32 will drive the screw conveyor 24 through the gearing 29 and 30 when it is held against the body panel and when the device is moved along the panel. r

Intermediate the ends of the tube 20 and preferably adjacent the upper end of the container body 10,- the latter is provided with a projecting boss 34 which is machined at opposite faces -to provide seats for thebifurcated ,ends 35a of an A applicator bodyy 35. This body 35 may be an integral piece having aiprojecting nib 36 forming a part offthe applicaton This 'nib may be hinged tothe body as in ymy. above applications. The body 35 at its upper side is provided with an enlargement'37 having a longitudinalhole and forming \a socket to receive the rearwardly extendingshank of an adjustable applicator nib 38. The shank of this nib 38 is therefore slidablelongitudinally within the socket 37 against the action of a compression spring 39. 4The movement ofthis pen nib is guided and controlled by means of a pin 41' carried by the socket member, which projects through a slot in the shank of the nib, see Figs. 2

Y f and 4. The applicator body 35 and the boss 34 are drilled centrally to provide alined holes through which extend tubes 42 and 42a forming a conduit vfor feeding "paint from the conveyor tube 20 to a point adjacent the working ends of the nibs 36 and 38.

It will be seen that the pen is readily detachable for the purposel ofcl'eaning or replacing the same, the forked ends 35afbeing releasably held in position on the seat34a by meansof avdevicewhich may be readily oper ated by the operator. Alever 43'is lpivoted to a stud 44 carried by the reservoir'body, this lever having a `projecting thumb piece 45 which may be pressed downwardly to swing the forward end of the lever upwardly against the action of a spring 49. The lever at its forward end is offset to provide a portion 46 which extends across the upper side of the boss 34 `:This offset portion 46 carries a pair of downwardly projecting pins k47 adapted to extend intoy a pair of holes 48 at opposite sides of the tube 42a. The spring 49 acting upon the forward end of the lever 43 normally holds the pins 47 within the holes 48 so as tolock the lapplicator body 35 to the boss 34.

Extending from the opposite side of the reservoir body is a chambercd boss 50 which is threaded to receive a c ollar 52 and between thalatter and vthe face ofk the bess 50- is clamped the edge of a' flexible cap 51. This cap is preferably of collapsible material such as rubberl and forms an air chamber 53 which communicates with a tube 54 extending forwardly and terminating at a. point adjacent the WorkingV ends of the nibs 36y and 38. The chamber 53 forms a suction chamber When the ,cap l is collapsed and by releasing the cap the suction inrfthe tube 54 is suilicient to .draw into. tube end of the tube excess paint at the-:ends of the nibs of the' applicator.

The reservoir body may be provided at one side thereof with a guide support 55 secured in any suitable manner to the Wall of the body. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the guide supporting member 55 may be provided at opposite sides With longitudinal grooves 55a into which project tongues .formed on a sleeve 56 slidable longitudinally of the guide support 55. The sleeve 56 is clamped in adjusted position by means of a set screw 58. l guide bar 57 is carried by the ysleeve 56 and is drilled longitudinally f to form a socket slidably receiving the shank 59 of a guide 6l. The shank slides Within the socket 57 againstl the action of a com- Y pression spring 60, and the parts are connected together by means of a pin and slot connection 62 and 63.

Referring now to Figs. 9, l0 and l1, it Will be seen that the device in this embodiment of the invention is especially adapted for the purpose of applying a relatively Wide composite stripe of the body. In this instance the reservoir body at the front face thereof is formed with three alined projecting bosses 70, 7l and 72 Which may be similar in construction to the boss 34 and in like manner are adapted to releasably support the bifurcated rear ends of three applicators 73, 74 and 75. The applicators 73 and 75 are in rthis instance substantially identical with the applicator above described and a further description thereof is not deemed necessary. The intermediate applicator 74 in the present instance comprises a brush body-Which is drilled longitudinally to provide a hole in 'alinement with a hole drilled centrally through the boss 71 and communicating with the interior of the tube 20. Extending through the hole in the applicator 74, isa feed tube 76 which extends centrally into the body of bristles 77.

ln this embodiment rof the invention the applicators 7 3, 74 and 75 are also readily detachable for the purposevof cleaning or replacing the same. The forked ends are releasably held in position on the reduced ends or seats of the bosses 70, 71 and 72 by a pair of pins 78.- Each pin projects through alined holes drilled through the forked ends of the applicators and lalso through the rel duced ends of the bosses. i The pins when in locking position as shown in Figs. 9 and l1 straddle opposite sides ofl the feed tubes 42 and 76. f

The striping device shown Vin Figs. 9, l0 and l1 is especially adaptedv for the purpose of applying a relatively Wide composite 7 stripe to a curved body such as a convex molding M. The brush 77 which preferably travels somewhat in advance of the upper and lower applicators or pens, as in our above application Serial No.r 274,293, forms an intermediate relatively Wide stripe. Owing to the yielding nib 38 each of the pens 73- and Will conform substantially to the contour of the molding as shown in Figs. 7 to lO inelusive and these pens will form a narrowr marginal stripe along each edge of the centrai stripe' produced by the brush 77. Preferably the. line marginal lines produced by the applicators 7 3 and 7 5 Will be contiguous with or slightly koverlapped by they stripe line formed by the applicator 77, as in our last mentioned application. Thus, the Wide stripe is formed by producing in succession a margin al stripe along each edge thereof andl an intermediate stripe to fill the space between the marginal stripes. The resulting convex stripe will have an even and uniform margini and will be accurately formed in accord-ance with the convexity of the surface.

A further detailedv description of the device shown in- Figs. 9,. l0 and 1l is not considerednecessary since the construction is otherwise substantially the same as above described inl connection with the device shown ini Figs. l to 5 inclusive.

Referring. new to Figs; l2 and 13, thereservoir body in this instance may be formed. With a boss 80 machined to provide forked projections adapted to fit over the projecting shouldered end of a fixed pen supporting or bearing member 81, these parts being detach'- ably heldr together by means of pins 82 proj .ectin-g through alined holes in the parts. Thebea-ring. member 8l is provided with an annular groove to receive ball bearings 83 housed by afring 84 secured to an applicator body 85 by means of screw threads.` This body 85 has substantially the same construe-- tion as the applicator body 35 above described, being provided. with a stationary nib`- 36 and' ayiel'ding nib 37. The parts 80, 81 and 85 are drilledto-provide alined centrally located holes through which extend` feedV tubes 86 and 86a communicating With the interior of the conveyor tube 20. F 'rom this construction,` it Will be seen that the applicator body 85 together with the pen nibs are free to turn or rotate by virtue of the ball bearings 83. In this Way the pen Will automatical'ly turn or rotate freely about its lon.- gitudinal axis when the device is moved over the-body'so-as toconfo'rm tocurves or corners.'

F romthe foregoing many 1advantages of the' present invention will; be immedatelfy appparent. The construction of theA d'evicel with the work wheel BQ'carried by the offset arm 3 provides a substantial space between it and `the applicator for clearing. obstructions such as hinges. The gears 29, not only prevents binding of thescrew conveyor but. also enables the conveyorto be driven at any predeterm'inedA speed to give theyproper feedjof paint in proportion to the speed of travel of the device over the body. These gears are readily removable so as to permit instant substitution of gears of different diameters or ratio so as to change the ratio of feed. This is important on account of variations in width of stripes requiring a greater or less proportionate feed. For example, when a wider stripe rto be made the gear ratio can be changed to increase the feed'ratio of the propellerand hence increase the' amount .of paint delivered at the applicator point. p

Moreover, it will be readily seen from the foregoing, referring especiallyto Figs. 6, 7 and 8 that the applicator nibs willautomatically conform to the contour ofthe surface upon which the stripe is produced. A further advantage of the invention resides in the suction chamber 53. In practice, just before the workman commences the stripe he will apply his linger to the cap '51 and collapse it tofor'ce air out ofthe chamber 53 and tube 54. vWhile forming the stripe he will retain hisfinger in such position Vkeeping the cap 51 collapsed; At the end of the stripe line,

or at a junctionwith another stripev still wet, or at any point desired, he can remove excess paint by releasing the pressure of his finger on cap 51 thereby drawing the paint into .the tube 54 by suction.

We claim: y f 1. In a striping device, in combination, an

applicatory comprising a pair kof nibs, a suc-V tion conduit terminating betweenthe working ends of said nibs, a conduit for feeding fluid from the reservoir to said nibs, and a collapsible device for inducingsuction in said suction conduit.

2. In a striping device, in combination, an' applicator, a4 suction conduitV terminating within the working end of said applicator, a Huid conduit from said reservoir terminating Within the working end of said applicator, and a chambered member having a colla ps ible wall for inducing suction in said suction conduit. i e

3. 'In a striping device, in'combination, a reservoir for striping `fluid, an applicator communicatingy with the reservoir and comprising a pair of nibs, a guide for one of said nibs to permit ',end'wise slidable movement thereof, a spring engagingthe end of said slidable nib, a suction conduit terminating between the working ends of said nibs,. aconduit for feeding Huid from the reservoir to said nibs, and a collapsible device for'inducing suction in said suction conduit.` i i collapsible device for inducing suctionin said suction conduit. f 1 In testimony whereof we 'affix our signatures.

`RALPH Z. HOPKINS. EARL F. SEGER.

vHuidfrom the reservoir to said nibs,'and a 

